Our School Programs are designed to provide kids with a hands on experience of filmmaking. They will learn the basics of script preparation, costume and set construction, camera and sound operation, as well as computer editing techniques.

 

The DOCUMENTARY STREAM:

 

WEEK ONE: A showcase of professional films and scripts. Focus on story telling and its part in society.

We will look at films made by other people, and in turn, discuss the content and meaning behind each.  Asking questions of the class, to stimulate discussion and critical exploration of what occurs in each film, how the story unravels, and what in turn that reveals about the story being told; the natures’ of stories themselves. 

 

We will use one film as an example and break it down into elements of production for discussion.  We will assess how the Narrative, Costume and settings, Camera operation and Sound, and Edit individually operate and contribute to the film as a whole. 

 

We will then discuss how and why documentation of our lives is important, and the effects it can have on a broader society. We will discuss the role of documentary in journalism and the role of journalism in Australia.  We will initiate conversations on what the class documentary may be about and why, initiating the research process that will be taken up by each member of the class. 

 

WEEK TWO:  Pitching & Storyboard
This session will determine the documentary we will make. 

Class members are given the opportunity to offer their ideas and in turn learn the art of pitching a film.   After much discussion a vote will secure the winning topic, which will then be picked to the bone to ensure the process meets the professional standard! 

 

What do we want to know?  How do we find out?

Research will continue as roles are assigned.

Working with the outcomes of our research we will create a storyboard detailing the information we need to capture at next weeks’ shoot.

 

WEEK THREE:  Camera operation and sound capture

[part 1] Shooting for documentary

It’s all in the details! Class members will learn the technical skills of camera operation and sound capture, with each student getting a hands-on opportunity.  We will look at how to capture different situations; movement; weather conditions; how the camera and subject interact, and how different lighting conditions affect aspects of a story.

 

We will capture footage for use in the documentary and line up interviews for the following week.

 

WEEK FOUR: Camera operation and sound capture

[part 2] Shooting for documentary
Refining interview techniques
We will watch the footage shot the previous week and analyse its’ success, determining the schedule for the continuing shooting.
Working in groups: the class will be assigned tasks to encourage them to explore the ways in which emotion and mood is conveyed through cinematography, settings and sounds. 

We will continue to capture footage and interviews.

 

WEEK FIVE: Pre-edit logs
We will watch what we have shot, making a pre-edit log of the construction of the documentary; its narrative, suspense and flow.

 

WEEK SIX: Editing techniques and film production to screen.  Titles and Credits.
Edited versions of the footage viewed in the previous session will be watched by the class and discussed.  A final component of the documentary will be reserved to walk through step by step processes of editing, which will occur live in class. 

 

We will look at the marketing and merchandising of documentary films of the past, and create equivalents to accompany the class production and advertise the premiere!